| President of the Lombardy Government, Roberto Formigoni is encouraging investment from British companies |
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oberto
Formigoni, President of the Lombardy government, is a
highly-respected statesman, both within Italy and beyond. He is constantly
on the move promoting the virtues of his beloved homeland to the rest
of the world. During the recent launch of a £680 million Lombardy
bond to fund infrastructural developments, Mr Formigoni led investment
roadshows to London, Frankfurt and New York. Other trips have taken
him as far afield as China. His energy and enthusiasm for the region
are sources of inspiration to others.
Lombardy maintains close working relationships with various parts of
Europe, including the other Motors of Europe and the UK.
As well as the scores
of tourists who flock to the region every year, there is a considerable
economic partnership in place between the two countries, in areas such
as finance and fashion. “I personally take care of our relations
with the British government,” he says.
Mr Formigoni says the UK is one of Lombardy’s
main business partners – the region provides roughly 40 per cent
of all Italian exports to Britain. He is keen to strengthen British
investment in Lombardy as well as encourage more local companies to
set-up in the UK. “We hope to do this by strengthening relations
with our entrepreneurs,” he says. “We want to build a well-developed
regional net system with our entrepreneurs, trade unions, universities
and other associations so that we are able to present ourselves as a
compact region.”
Lombardy has worked
hard in recent years to improve the business environment, slashing red
tape and quickening the decisionmaking process. There has been massive
investment in infrastructure. This includes new roads and railway lines,
as well as the extension of the broadband communications network across
the entire region, including remote, mountainous areas. There is an
equally firm commitment to education. Mr Formigoni’s administration
is working in co-operation with Lombardy’s schools, universities,
and professional institutions to equip its people with the very best
in skills and training. “In this way the region aims to prepare
not only for today’s jobs but also for tomorrow’s,” he
says.
As well as its people,
the main strength of the region lies in the 11 provinces that make up
Lombardy. Among the other Italian regions, Lombardy is something of
an exception, he says. There is much more to the region than Milan.
“All the other regions in the country surround one important city
– Piedmont is around Turin, Emilia around Bologna,” he says.
“In Lombardy each of our 11 provinces has its own important city
– Brescia, Bergamo and Varese, for example – and also has
a strong and specified industrial system.”
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